In its climate change policy, the Scottish National Party has set a target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Even accepting the unproven hypothesis that rising greenhouse gas levels are largely responsible for climate change, it should be pointed out that Scotland's total emissions comprise only about 0.17% of the global total and any change will have no effect on climate, local or global.
Indeed, only this week, Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell, has indicated that expectations for renewable energy are simply not realistic and that a figure of perhaps 30% emission reduction by 2050 might be more reasonable.
John Swinney MSP, the Finance Minister, drew attention to the increase in rainfall levels in Scotland as evidence of climate change. Probably wise, really, since drawing attention to a warmer climate for Scotland might have led to demands for more climate change.
However, it is a pity that Mr Swinney omitted to check the Met Office data on Scottish rainfall before making his statement, for it is a fact that there has been no significant trend of increasing rainfall in Scotland since 1980. Further Met Office data also shows that global temperatures have actually fallen slightly in the past decade and have shown no statistically significant rise since 1990. Just to cap it all, Nasa studies show that atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas methane are falling, not rising.
All of the above are easily verifiable and fly in the face of the conventional wisdom. But, hey, we shouldn't let a few inconvenient facts get in the way of what politicians believe, should we? Dr Wilson Flood, 68 Rowanbank Road, Dumfries.
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